New Smyrna Beach – Exhale on the Water

Counting Manatees

Mariner’s Cay Marina in Manatee Pocket

During our slow travels on Exhale we love spotting marine life. We have seen awe-inspiring whales, playful dolphins, resplendent turtles, formidable alligators, flying fish, and splendid manatees.

Over the past 9 years we have stayed at the Manatee Pocket marina in Stuart so many times that we have lost count. BUT here’s what I can report, with full confidence: number of manatee sightings in Manatee Pocket = zero, zilch and nada.

On a positive note, at low tide, Buttercup found a new vantage point, she’s sitting on the tv shelf (the tv lowers behind the couch).

Buttercup, keeping a close watch, as the world goes by.

Boater’s Tip: Mariner’s Cay Marina is often windy. With fixed docks, be prepared to tie up without assistance. Consider using Sunset Marina, which is easy walking distance to the bustling little downtown of Stuart.

For us, a visit to Stuart equals time with Marty and Anders, fondly referred to as Meanders! Because of them we purchased our first trawler, NP4906, delivered in April 2016. Keeping with our special tradition, we enjoyed a fabulous Thai meal, at Krua Thai (click here) including the best curried duck ever!

Hey Caryl, are you familiar with Big Fred, the staghorn fern? Located in Titusville FL, he measures a total of: 88.5 inches in diameter (that’s almost 7.5 feet) and 278 inches in circumference (That’s 23.16 feet around). For more random details about Big Fred, click here.

Not sure if this Stuart fern has a name, but thought you might appreciate the photo of this healthy, mega fern.

Vero Beach Yacht Club

Shout out to the general manager, head chef and head bartender at Vero Beach Yacht Club for the friendly chatter and bubbly on Mother’s Day. Boater’s Tip, if the yacht club cannot accommodate your vessel, we recommend you stay at the adjoining Vero Beach city dock where you will find plenty of lizards. This multi-colored lizard is a Peter’s rock agama, also known as a rainbow lizard.

Eau Gallie, Melbourne FL

Melbourne is well worth the stop, although the Eau Gallie Yacht Club is closed on Mondays. We enjoyed reconnecting with consummate sailors Brenda and Phil Spletter – another day of spoiled attention for Buttercup!

After hours of heavy rain, it was a quiet evening as Exhale sat all alone on the south dock. Sorry, Phil S, unlike our adventures in Rockport, there was no opportunity to crash another wedding in a certain yellow slicker. We can try again the next time we meet up!

Red Sunset for Finny

This is for you, little sister.

Smyrna Yacht Club

How old is this club? Dating back to 1928 it is fast approaching a 100-year milestone!

Smyrna Yacht Club made history in 1932 as the host of an international sailing regatta with participants from the US, England, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden & Cuba. The grand prize was the tall silver Lipton Cup Trophy, designed by Sir Thomas Lipton, which is now permanently on display in the Club’s trophy case, it is the only one in Florida.

History Lesson: Lipton® Tea traces back to Sir Thomas Lipton (1848 – 1931). After opening his first grocery stores in Glasgow in 1871, he saw the profit potential in this deliciously aromatic beverage and bought a number of tea fields in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). His key to overwhelming success was direct sales – pissing off the Brits when he refused to sell through their middlemen at “tea auctions.” Lipton’s trademark slogan was “Direct from the Tea Gardens to the Teapot” which also meant a significant $ gain into his Lipton bank account.

As a yachtsman, Sir Lipton was not so successful – he lost 5 straight America’s Cup races. For the Spletters, and all of our other sailors: To learn more about Lipton and his part in the first of the J-Class, click here.

Fun architectural detail about the club, I like the “mushroom” accent found in the grand entry-way!

The club logo, a signature sideways “S”, is for Ray Houle, fondly referred to as “Sideways” for a certain boating maneuver, without thrusters, that he absolutely mastered!

Admiral Buttercup liked this stop!

Halifax River, Daytona Beach

And now a photo for the Aussies – look at that light in our salon! The stowaway is ever present. Come join us!

We had an exceptional evening at Halifax River Yacht Club. Capt Rick was very excited to be served liver and onions, for our subscribers it’s one of those menu items that makes you smile, or, very likely it makes you cringe; thus it’s not easy to find! It’s also a dish that is not easy to prepare – be assured, the chef at Halifax got it right!!

Camouflaged Tesla tank. Starry Night wrap makes it almost tolerable. Almost.

Palm Coast Marina

And now for a well disguised Yuengling, aka PPW, according to David Hendry.

Boater’s Tip – the 5th Element serves up fresh, delicious, authentic Indian food. Disregard the never ending bollywood dancers streaming in the background. Worth the walk to the European Village Palm Coast.

Beach Marine, Jacksonville.

Boater’s Tip: Windward, The Wharf is so unremarkable I did not take any photos, but we DO appreciate the floating docks at Beach Marine, finally.

These fire red flowers are for Alisha, Holly, and Zach – just because. And that’s a wrap for this week!

Celebrating Milestones:

Happy Birthday Chris Moles! 63 on Monday, May 19;

Celebrating Life: Carol Lee Mayo. You are loved!

Next Up:

Oyster Bay Yacht Club, at Fernandina Beach. I don’t expect to find the Oyster Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc that Gail and I enjoy, so much, since the grapes are grown in the Wairau Valley within Marlborough, New Zealand. But one can hope!

Yes, Gail, we are definitely Heading North!

the Oldest!

We covered a lot of water over the past week, connecting with Tonto’s Reward in Stuart and Vero Beach, then off on our own to Melbourne, New Smyrna Beach, Palm Coast and St. Augustine. Sharing a few highlights, with some solid trivia towards the end of this post to explain “the Oldest”.

Stuart

This is for my cousin, who was in Stuart with us last year. A belated Happy Birthday, John.

Vero Beach Beauty

Thank you to the architects who designed this Vero Beach bridge with pizazz. The pedestrian walkway motivated us to get some steps in – while in the shade -with Tonto’s Reward.

Buttercup is keeping a close eye out, from her favorite vantage point. Thanks, David, for teaching her this fun trick.

Melbourne

Now in our 7th year of boating on Exhale, trust me, we have learned the value of monitoring the weather! As much as I prefer to sleep in, an early morning rise meant we escaped the heavy, heavy rain in Melbourne.

Hey from Phil and Brenda, thanks for a lovely evening.

New Smyrna Beach

If you stop in New Smyrna, we recommend the Outriggers, Tiki Bar & Grille – try the fish dip. This is Jenn and her Rainbow Pens

Bridge Opening

Patience is mandatory, as you often wait for Bridge Openings. Timed perfectly, this opened on arrival.

Project Time!

Thanks Chris for shipping the package to St. Augustine. Buttercup was happy to supervise as Captain Rick installed a VERY cool ceiling fan in our cabin. Normally Chris is the co-pilot in projects like this …

closely supervising

Ceiling panels, removed, so many electrical wires to chose from.

A work of art – as if it was factory installed!

Coveted Title – the “Oldest”

Apparently, there is an ongoing dispute about whether St Augustine is the oldest city in America, especially after Pensacola dug up remnants of an olive jar dating back to 1559 – random trivia for the Bernstein’s – who despise olives.

Brilliantly, St. Augustine advertises itself as the Ancient City. It appears that smart marketing tactics date back to the September 8, 1565 arrival of explorer Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. Thankfully, Pedro named the colonial settlement after St. Augustine, as his landing coincided with the saint’s annual feast. Whether Pedro was a humble explorer, or just a brilliant marketer we don’t know – BUT just imagine, fellow mariners, having to hail the municipal marina if he had named the city after himself?? And, in a city with LOTS of pubs, it doesn’t hurt that St. Augustine is known as the brewer’s saint.

A lovely walk-about, beyond the tourist distractions, will bring you to the campus of Flager College. The most well-known building is the former Ponce de Leon Hotel. Built in 1888 by railroad and oil tycoon Henry Flagler – the target customers were rich and famous visitors; after World War II the hotel closed.

Decades later, a true visionary was found in his grandson, Lawrence Lewis, Jr., who collaborated with Mount Ida College to transform the shuttered hotel into a private girls college. In 1968, the Ponce was converted into classrooms, the famed Tiffany glass dining room into a cafeteria, and original hotel rooms into student and faculty housing. This magical historic redevelopment reminds me of the impossible transformation of a certain abandoned railway building into a community treasure – accomplished by someone who is always listening.

As of 2018, the Flager College campus included 19 historic buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places, all carefully preserved and cherished. On a spring day in April 2023 the campus was teaming with students.

The Molly Wiley Art Building is found in the center of the campus – a brief cyber search unveiled Molly Wiley was related to Flagler, underscoring the Philanthropist’s generous donations to the campus.

The Molly Wiley Art Building, built between1885 and 1887, the LARGE chimney stack used to contain four electric dynamos – to supply electricity to the Ponce de Leon Hotel and artists’ studios. Renovated in 2007, the building is now the proud home of the fine arts and graphic design departments. To my disappointment, to get inside, I needed an art student escort. Next time I know who to bring with me …

Future ports: JAX (to connect with Golden Ours!), Jekyll Island, and Hilton Head (to reunite with Tonto’s Reward).

Milestones: Birthday: April 13, Piper Jackson; April 14, Meghan Reese; April 19, John Gill, Jr.

Enjoy Life. Every moment is precious.

Life is a balancing act – hold on gently. You’ve got this!!

Cruising with Friends

Clewiston, Stuart, Melbourne, New Smyrna Beach

We left LaBelle with Treble in Paradise and Lit’l Houlegan following close behind.

It all seems so familiar, cruising with Capt. Sideways. Platinum loopers, these boaters are extremely experienced in the locks.

Early to Rise

If you followed our blog in the past, you know that Capt. Rick is an early riser. That means we often start our morning on the water with the sunrise. Good morning from the Clewiston Lock.

Clewiston sunrise – April 30, 2021, 6:30 am

It is such a pleasure, boating with our friends on Lit’l Houlegan. It was hard to say goodbye in Clewiston. Maddie said thanks for all the cookies, Ray, we trust you will trailer that sweet little boat somewhere fun this summer! Join us again, anytime.

We also parted ways, briefly, with Treble in Paradise. We plan to reconnect with them around St. Augustine.

Remote Office

In a COVID world, it’s extremely common to work remotely. For all our clients and colleagues, who were wondering if we really work on the boat – rest assured, this highly productive office opens with the sun!

Stuart – Manatee Pocket

One of our favorite places to visit is Stuart, where we reunited with MeAnders. Marty and Anders are the REASON why we bought our first North Pacific. We absolutely fell in love with their boat (and with them) and could not wait to have a NPY of our own. It was great seeing them. THANKS for the ice bucket!

Sunrise or Sunset?

Here’s a fun test – leave a comment with your guess. Answer in the next blog.

Melbourne

We typically run the boat from the pilot house (inside); heading to Melbourne it was a perfect day to run from the flybridge – for Tonto’s Reward.

Crew Craig Adford, Capt. Rick – May 2, 2021

We spent the night in Melbourne, dining at Ichabod in the familiar marina. Took a nice long walk to stretch our legs. Note to self, next time we visit Melbourne we should eat in the vibrant historic district, the options are abundant!

Melbourne Harbor Marina – May 3, 2021, 6:28 am

Yes, it’s common for Capt. Rick to leave at first light

Anchored out near New Smyrna Beach

We anchored out, surrounded by sailboats – it was actually a little crowded. Since the WiFi was a problem (for future reference), the office closed early. Better than any restaurant, a charcuterie feast, prepared by our Chef. It is such a treasure to cruise with our dearest friends, Craig and Maureen. We are very spoiled!

With a departure at 7:15 am, it felt like we finally slept in!

Ponce de Leon Cut, near New Smyrna Beach – May 4, 2021, 7:17 am

Useful stuff: Bowline Knots

It turns out, Craig is really good at tying a bowline knot. Confession time – I thought they were called bowling knots. But as I see the correct spelling of the nautical term, I realize a “line” (definitely not a rope) makes more sense. BushRanger, what do you think, can you can use the same knot on the stern? Just wondering. For those of you who want to master this useful knot, here’s a great visual aide.

Next Stop: St. Augustine Mooring Field – See you tonight Tonto’s Reward!